Drowned by Ice
by Rusti Cherries
Summary: [SasuSaku] 'It started years ago.' Sakura slammed her fist down on the table. 'The stupid bastard just thinks I'll wait forever, and I won't.' Sasuke sat unfazed in his chair. Suck at Summaries. Plz R&R.
1. Chapter 1

**Drowned by Ice**

**By S.S.M.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Do you?**

**SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS**

Sakura rolled her eyes uncharacteristically, growing ever surer that she would not succeed in getting any sleep… at all. She groaned inwardly. What had taken her so long to get to this point? The bright moon overhead shined annoyingly through the thin fabric of the tent. She cursed the sleeping figure next to her. He had taken the good spot, shaded by the leaves of the tree overhead. She wiggled around under her worn blanket, struggling to find a comfortable position on the hard ground. She shifted her eyes towards him, staring at him out of the corner of her eye.

Stupid Naruto. Forgets to pack an extra tent and then steals one all for himself. She snorted at the loud snoring seeping in through the crack under the tent. Why had Tsunade sent them on this mission anyway? Ino and her team were already on it, and it wasn't a hard one. "Go to the Sound Village and retrieve these herbs… blah, blah, blah…" She mocked her mentor under her breath. Sakura stared accusingly at the list of special herbs needed that lay innocently on the ground. "It's all your fault!" She spat out the words, glaring daggers at the piece of parchment.

"Are you ever going to go to sleep?" Her eyes widened in shock. Had Sasuke been awake this whole time? Why the hell didn't he say anything? He received a disheveled grunt in reply. His lips curled in an amused smirk. The cherry blossom had resorted to hiding under her blanket. He glanced at her wall of the tent, noticing how bright it was. "Do you want my spot?" he asked, knowing what was wrong. The lump under the blanket squirmed, causing the sheet to fly in all directions. Finally, a head of muddled pink hair emerged from the depths of underneath.

"I don't want your pity Uchiha! I can handle this on my own! I'm not WEAK, ok?" He raised an eyebrow at the irritated kunoichi. Great. She was grumpy. Well, no sleep really did a number on some people. He sighed and with a simple gesture he offered her his spot again. She narrowed her eyes, staring enviously at his side of the tent. "Hi-YA!" In a spur of the moment decision, she swung her arm up and socked him in the jaw.

He rolled off to the side, bumping into the wall of the tent. Sasuke stared incredulously at the enraged cherry blossom. "What the hell-?"

"Save it Uchiha!" She stuck her hand in his face, pressing her palm against the tip of her nose. He blinked several times before contemplating his options. He was alone in a tent with a mentally-exhausted kunoichi who had just punched him in the middle of the woods in the middle of the night. So, he did the only thing he could think of. He licked her hand.

Sakura pulled her hand away in a swift motion, cradling it as if it was bleeding. She stared at it with a disgusted, almost sad expression. It was then she began shifting her head towards him, in a slow, eerie movement, a vicious look painted on her dainty features. Perhaps licking her hand hadn't been the best decision when she was in such a mood… although her skin had tasted – He stopped him self before he could go any further. What was wrong with him? Wasn't he the stoic, emotionless, human ice cube of Kohana? Why the hell had be _licked_ her hand?

He was pulled away from his thoughts by a shrill squeal. "You're in for it now Uchiha!" Sasuke attempted to remain calm… but he had never seen the cherry blossom so-so… He was lost deep in thought, trying to think of the right word. Sakura smirked menacingly. The shinobi was distracted. She curled her blanket up into a ball and aimed it at his stomach. When thrown, he looked at her with a confused expression. Why had she thrown her- "AAAAH!" She pounced like a cat going for a pound of kitty crack. He found himself pinned to the ground, an insane cherry blossom sitting on his stomach. He grunted his usual 'Hn.', trying to find a way out of his current position.

However, Sakura displayed a triumphant smirk across her lips. She grabbed her blanket and tugged it around her shoulders. "Well, what are you going to do now?" the Uchiha retorted. His companion frowned disapprovingly.

"Don't you know?" He shook his head dramatically, bouncing around in an attempt to throw her off. She laughed gently, leaning down and planting a kiss gingerly on his forehead. His eyes widened in shock. She then pressed her cheek against him, causing him a grimacing look. She shifted her position so she was lying on top of him. "Now we can both sleep under the shade, see?" Her eyelids slid closed and twisted her leg around her, and wrapped her arms around her waist. She would nod off to sleep soon.

Sasuke grunted in annoyance. Damn. Now how was he supposed to get himself out of this? He raised an eyebrow when she tucked the tip of her head into the nape of his neck. He growled. This wasn't right. Why did this feel so… comfortable? Well, it wasn't like he was going to get the lug off him anytime soon. The ice cube cautiously placed his arms around her petite waist. It was a good thing she didn't weigh much; otherwise this would be a lot harder to deal with. He sighed slightly when he felt her breathe against his neck.

The cherry blossom giggled softly in her sleep. The Uchiha's lips curved upwards in a tiny smile. She was dreaming. Her quiet laughter was followed by a shocked gasp. In the back of his mind, Sasuke hoped she would say something, just so he might get a notion of what or _who_ her dream was about. She wriggled around, squeezing him tightly as if embracing him, before pressing her lips to his neck in another kiss. Her nose wrinkled when she smiled. Sasuke took it all in, inwardly cursing himself. _'Damn it! If you didn't have that stupid soft spot for her...'_

He couldn't roll around with the cherry blossom using him as a couch, so he resorted to shifting his position slightly, just so that his captured leg was resting hesitantly against her thigh. His movement caused her to grunt it annoyance. "Sasuke! Slow down! I can't keep up with you!" The shinobi's eyes reeled over to her, staring accusingly. What could she possibly be dreaming about? She settled down. "We'll never finish this if you don't stop…" He was almost scared to ask. "Ow! Not so hard… gently."

He stared intently at her face. Her lips curved pleasantly into a peach pink smile. Sasuke frowned at himself. Did she really dream about him like this? He felt slightly guilty. He didn't think he was capable of… love. Had he been causing her false hopes all these years? It was then he caught the cherry blossom sniggering. He narrowed his eyes, scheming up a quick plan in his mind. He yelped out in fake pain. "OW! I'm going to…. _die_!" He emphasized the last words, causing her eyes to shoot open in concern.

"Oh my god! Sasuke are you alright?" He smirked at his victory. "Ok, ok. I'll get off Uchiha. Don't have a cow." She rolled off, growling when she noticed how bright her side of the tent _still_ was. "Damn it! Doesn't the friggin' moon ever take a break?" Sasuke sighed. He knew neither of them would ever get any sleep if this crap continued all night.

"Sakura." The Haruno grunted. It was his famous 'I'm only going to say this once so you better listen up' kind of Sakura. She wiggled around so she could face him. "Come, you sit here." He pointed to the spot in front of him. She did what he said obediently, climbing over him to the other side of the tent.

"But then how you will you-" She stopped talking when he took action. He shifted her so her back was facing his chest and pulled her close. She gasped when he wrapped his arms gently around her waist.

"There." And that was that for the Uchiha. Now they could both sleep with the moon getting in their way. It was a simple solution, but his actions sent pleasurable shivers down the cherry blossom's spine. Inner Sakura was raving.

'_**Oh yeah! Wait 'till Ino-pig hears about this! She'll never be able live it down… oh…'**_

But regular Sakura was just trying to enjoy the moment. She knew there were slim chances of this ever happening again.

'_He's breathing on the back of my neck… oh god… that feels wonderful.' _

Even though her problems with the moon were solved, Sakura still found it hard to sleep. She glanced down at the hand dangling against her stomach. Another false hope, she reckoned. She knew this meant nothing to him. In the morning he would say nothing and soon he would forget about it, but she knew she wouldn't… This one was going in her memory bank, in that special vault just for Sasuke Uchiha.

Her brow's furrowed. She had few happy memories with him, and when they occurred, they were like… little pieces of heaven that she held close to her heart. Was he asleep? She hoped. The cherry blossom reached down and stroked the tip of her finger across the back of his hand. It was so smooth. She wondered what the other side felt like. She gingerly flipped his hand over and pressed her palm against his.

Little did she know, the ice cube was watching her every move. He let her play with his hand. She was like a child playing with a beloved puppet. She stroked each of his fingers, stopping and drawing imaginary lines on his palm. He glanced at her neck. He wanted… to kiss it. He toyed with the idea. Maybe just this once... he could forget about dignity and his stupid Uchiha pride, and he could let his emotions get the better of him… for the fragile cherry blossom he held in his arms.

He reckoned she had calmed down enough so that she wouldn't mind. She wasn't grumpy anymore, just tired. Sakura had just been playing with him… she was allowed fun every once in a while, right? Impulsively, he leaned closer to her, so his nose was touching her neck. Sasuke felt her stiffen slightly, but she then relaxed, figuring he had just stirred in his sleep. He smiled, knowing she still held his hand. The ice cube was gradually melting, and all of a sudden he didn't mind as much. He leaned in a little more, just so his could press his lips to her neck, and then down a little farther, just so he could reach her shoulder…

Sakura's heart beat quickened. She felt his trail of kisses softly puncturing her skin, each and every time, her heart stung sharply. She began shaking her head. "No Sasuke… stop it." The Uchiha did as he was told, confused. Isn't this what she wanted? Why was she rejecting him? "If I let you do this… you would just deny it later, wouldn't you?" Her voice sounded like a small whimper from the back of her throat. She had let go of his hand. "Because… you don't love me Sasuke." He knew she was crying now. "Not like I love you."

He was speechless. Had he heard right…? He shook the thoughts away, but couldn't stop those three words from drilling into his brain. She had said – 'I. Love. You.' Sasuke watched as her shoulders began to tremble. He frowned when he heard her sniffle repeatedly. He squeezed her waist protectively, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Don't cry Sakura."

The cherry blossom wriggled out of his grip. She still wouldn't face him. "Why the hell not? It's not like you care, you damn Uchiha!" Her words were laced with pain.

'_Shit. Shit, shit, SHIT!' _That was all the ice cube could think. He never intended to hurt her… he just did. He didn't want her to cry. He hated watching her cry as much as he hated his damn brother! But it just… happened. Sasuke grunted. _'This is why love is so pointless. Someone always gets hurt.' _

"You're annoying."

Sakura stopped crying.

He was screwed now.

**SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS**

**A/N: SO, what did you think so far? I don't think it's that great but… eh, what the hell. It's not gonna be horrendously long, but I don't know the exact length yet so. **

**Sasuke: Damn it! I always screw things up!**

**Sakura: Tell me about it… **

**Sasuke: Hey, that was uncalled for! **

**Sakura: You started it Uchiha! pounces**

**Sasuke: I'm going down!**

**0.o **

**Well… let's get back to business. They're both a little feisty in this fic. , not to mention the human ice cube is a little slushy… but yea. Well, plz review! I would appreciate it SO much! Thanks!**

**Who else?  
S.S.M.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Drowned by Ice**

**Chapter Two**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naw dip Sherlock. **

**SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS**

Sakura shot a glance over her shoulder. She raised an eyebrow. Naruto was chattering endlessly to a stoic Sasuke, who didn't even bother to _pretend_ he was listening. She smirked lightly. Her gaze returned to the dirt path ahead. At least the ice cube had agreed not to tell anyone what had happened. Not that there was a really a chance he would've anyway.

'_**That stupid Uchiha pride...'**_

She snorted. Inner Sakura was actually right for once. She shifted the position of the pack on her shoulders so it didn't put as much weight on her left shoulder. She knew Sasuke could get mad, but she didn't know he ever got so worked up. She had been under the impression that he had no emotions, but the bruise on her shoulder protested otherwise. The cherry blossom sighed heavily and slipped a map out of her side pouch, attempting to look like she knew what she was doing. She hadn't really planned on being the leader today… nor had she been paying attention the last few hours they had been traveling.

She squinted at the map, trying to find their position. Her head throbbed. She was too tired. She scrunched the paper up semi-professionally and turned around to face the boys. "Anyone else want to take the lead for a while? I need to take a break." She glared at the ice cube, willing him to volunteer. As far as she was concerned, she would rather spend the rest of the trip ignoring a chattering fox boy than enduring an awkward silence with Sasuke.

He grunted and glanced at Naruto. He could certainly get them to the Sound Village much faster than the dobe. Just as he was about to answer, he got cut off. "Sure Sakura!" Naruto squealed. "To become the next Hokage, I will need to polish my 'directional' skills!" He bounded up to the front, his tongue stuck out of his mouth. He whipped around and pointed at Sasuke. "BELIEVE IT!" Satisfied, Naruto gently took the map from the cherry blossom and attempted to make sense of it.

She sighed and pretended to be happy that Naruto had taken her place… as if walking with Sasuke-jerk the rest of the way was her "dream come true". The ice cube eyed her warily. Had she forgiven him?

Sasuke almost laughed.

'_Of course she has,'_ he concluded to himself deliriously. _She_ had to have been his biggest, most annoying fan girl. Sakura certainly wouldn't let one night get in the way of her – _'years of "undying love" for me.'_ He grunted and smirked, amused. The way he saw it, the girl had probably forgiven him last night, but had been "too shy" to admit it to his face.

If only the Uchiha knew how wrong he was.

The cherry blossom drifted farther back, ending up next to Sasuke, not even bothering to spare him a glance. She figured if she could ignore Naruto, she could certainly ignore someone who doesn't talk. Instead she turned her thoughts on her shoulder. The goddamn thing was nearly an ultra-violet shade of purple. A bug landing on it could set the fucking thing off, burning with pain. She slipped the strap of her pack completely off her bruised shoulder and lifted all the weight onto her right shoulder.

Sasuke watched her intensely. Why the hell wasn't she begging for forgiveness? While he trudged along, trying to act appropriately for the current situation, she walked absentmindedly beside him and played with her back-pack.

Sakura grunted. The damn pack was so heavy! She couldn't carry it on just one shoulder, than she would have two weak arms instead of just one. She sighed deeply and swung the strap back onto her bad shoulder. She winced and let out a small whimper. _'It hurts like SHIT!' _She concluded to herself (and that wasn't even Inner Sakura talking).

The ice cube growled. It looked like Sakura wanted him to make the first move. He shrugged and accepted it. At least he wasn't so _childish_. "What the hell are you moaning about?" he snarled. He raised an eyebrow. That hadn't come out exactly as planned. He was supposed to sound… kinder.

The girl beside him chuckled bitterly. This shinobi could sure hold grudges. She didn't bother to look at him when she talked. "Maybe I wouldn't be having any pack problems if some bastard last night hadn't tried to take out my left shoulder." Sasuke's brows furrowed. What the heck was she talking about? He was about to ask when she swung around and shoved her shoulder into his range of vision. "Thanks a lot Uchiha. Now I have a weak spot."

He stared at the bruise for a minute before regaining his composure. "Yeah right," he laughed accusingly. "_You_ are a weak spot to team seven. You can't fight worth shit even with that shoulder." This set the cherry blossom on fire.

She smirked. "Oh really? I suppose you want a stronger girl on your team?"

"Hell, you probably couldn't beat the fat lug that runs the ramen stand." He knew how to set her off.

The two had stopped walking completely. They were standing in the middle of the path, faces inches apart, with steam seemingly shooting out of their ears. Naruto, who had noticed them yelling –er screaming, had turned around to see what was going on. Naruto had never been more shocked in his _entire_ life. _Sakura fighting with Sasuke? _His eyes widened. "It's a sign of the apocalypse!" he shrieked.

"SHUT UP NARUTO!" both Sasuke and Sakura screamed. The fox boy took it as another sign and began running and screaming gibberish.

Sasuke sneered. He had her right where he wanted her. Now she would realize her mistake and she would see how hunky and manly he- "Alright fine! If don't want me on your team then I'll request a transfer!"

"What?" Sasuke questioned steadily.

Naruto snuck up behind him. "Can you do that?"

Sakura squinted hard at the ice cube. "Yes Naruto, I can," she replied, even though she wasn't looking at him. "I'll go to Kakashi and Tsunade and ask for a transfer. That way the Uchiha won't have to deal with the weak leak anymore."

Sasuke stared.

She was dead serious.

**SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS**

**A/N: Was that chapter shorter than the last one? It probably was. Well yes, I decided to leave you on a semi-cliffy, just because I love to torture you guys! JUST KIDDING! Just kidding! But I am leaving you on a cliffy. **

**I would like to say – THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED! YOUR REVIEWS MAKE ME FEEL ALL WARM AND FUZZY INSIDE! Plus they keep me writing! **

**Sasuke: Sakura can't leave! Are you on drugs or something? SAKURA CAN'T LEAVE ME WITH THE DOBE! **

**Sakura: Poor Uchiha. I knew he would crack sometime. **

**Sasuke: SAKURA! Haha! Now you can't leave me! **

**0.o **

**They keep getting stranger every chapter! Well, anyways, please review, since I tried so hard to write a good chapter for all of you!**

**Who else?**

**S.S.M.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Drowned by Ice**

**Chapter Three**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, ok?**

**I changed my penname from Summer's Spicey Melody to – Rusti Cherries. It was a spur of the moment thing. **

**SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS**

Truthfully… he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Kakashi nodded along to every word she said and occasionally sneaked a peak at his perverted little book. Sasuke was getting more irritated by the second. Sakura was hovering around their sensei, whining and complaining about every little thing that had gone wrong on the mission. "The bastard tried to-" The cherry blossom stopped and glanced over at Sasuke. She lowered her gaze to the ground, her rage suddenly subsiding. "He…" She seemed to lose her voice. The ice cube was outraged. Is THAT what she thought he was trying to do? Outrageous! It wasn't exactly… _that._

Kakashi reeled his eyes up from his book and raised his only visible eyebrow. "Is that so?" he asked steadily, his head tilted to the side slightly. Sakura nodded. "Hmmm," he murmured, sending a disapproving 'fatherly' look at Sasuke. "Well…" His voice trailed off, as if the sensei was deep in thought. "Transfers aren't really my area of expertise." He paused again, his head bobbled, and he looked back down at his book. "How about I talk to Mr. Uchiha, and you go ask Tsunade about this." Sakura nodded and squinted. She leaned closer to Kakashi.

"You know you're a great teacher Kakashi…" She paused and slapped her hand over the text in his book, forcing him to pay attention. "I'm just tired of being the weak link." Kakashi sighed heavily and ruffled her hair.

"I know." He slipped his book into his pocket and walked away, headed toward the Uchiha. Sakura hesitated a moment more, catching a glimpse of Kakashi's pretend punishment scolding. She doubted that once she left the sensei would continue on with such a parental conversation. She bit her lip, and squeezed her eyes shut. The cherry blossom forced herself to take a step, and then another, and another… and then she was gone.

Sasuke watched as she sashayed away. He growled and turned to Kakashi. "Are you really just going to let her leave like that? You're losing part of your team, you're-" He was cut off by the silver haired ninja clearing his throat obnoxiously.

"Well… what do you care?" he asked casually. The sensei rolled onto one hip, his head cocked and his hand in his pocket, surely fingering his dirty book. A tiny moan slipped through his lips and he leaned his head back. His eyes glazed over and he sighed deeply. "As far as she's concerned, you don't want her here Sasuke."

The ice cube let his eyes roll in annoyance. He snorted and turned away from his sensei. "God damn it Kakashi..." A bitter smile graced his lips. "You of all people should know that shit isn't true." Sasuke glanced over his shoulder. He eyed the sensei. To anyone who didn't know him, he would appear to be deep in thought, but Sasuke knew better.

"Well…" Another pause. "I don't think I should be the one to tell her that, now should I?" He pulled his book out of his pocket and went back to reading, chuckling sourly under his breath.

**SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS**

"Sakura please-"

"No Tsunade! I'm fucking tired of it!" Sakura was outraged. She quickly swabbed another tear off her cheek and stared at the woman in front of her. She grunted and fell down in the chair. "Well, what do you want me to do woman?"

Tsunade stared at the cherry blossom. Her gaze softened. She wanted to sympathize with the girl, but she couldn't follow out such a big request without figuring out what was going on. "Sakura," she whispered, sitting down next to her. Tsunade gently laid her hand on the girl's arm, staring intensely at her tear stained cheek. "How about we talk things over with your other team members first, ok?" Tsunade couldn't help her desperate expression as she waited for an answer.

She heard Sakura sigh heavily. With a grunt, the young kunoichi reeled her head around to look at Tsunade. "Alright." She paused and glanced at her mentor's desk. "But it's really only…" Her face strained, she didn't know how to say this to Tsunade. "Only Sasuke," she concluded. "It's his fault and no one else's."

The older woman was slightly surprised by this, but nodded and pushed herself up from the chair none the less. She had thought maybe it was Kakashi who had caused this. The man could be slightly… perverted, in politest terms. "Well then, I'll send for Sasuke and we'll talk things over." Sakura nodded, but remained in her chair. She could pout if she wanted to. Tsunade was slightly perplexed. She shook it off and walked off to go send word for the shinobi.

**SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS**

Sakura barely noticed when Tsunade re-entered the room with Sasuke at her side. She didn't know why she had agreed to this. Of all people, he was the last one he wanted to see.

Tsunade motioned for him to sit down and he sat down quietly beside Sakura. She still paid no attention. The older woman retreated to sitting behind her desk and eyed the two teenagers warily. She sighed and decided to start asking questions. "So, what happened?" The cherry blossom took the liberty of grunted and shrugging her shoulders. She didn't want to talk about it. Tsunade turned to the ice cube. "Sasuke?"

He growled and rolled his eyes. "Look, I don't know what crawled up her ass," he motioned to Sakura. "But whatever it is certainly isn't enough to leave the team." This caught her attention. Sakura whirled around and stared intensely at her ice cube of a teammate.

"Oh right, sorry, I was really getting molested. I just _thought_ I was." Sasuke's eyes widened at her comment.

"What the hell? I was not trying to feel you up; can't you get that through your thick skull? What is your problem Sakura?" he yelled. He stood up and turned to stare at Tsunade. "You don't believe this nimrod, do you?"

She wasn't quite sure what to say. "Um… uh…well-" She wasn't able to finish her stuttering.

"I've loved this idiot for years and I still don't know why!" Sakura screeched. This caused Sasuke to fall down in his chair. "I've tried…" She paused and suppressed a sob. "The bastard thinks I'll wait forever and I won't!" She slammed her fist down on the table.

Sasuke sat unfazed in his chair. What was he supposed to say to that?

"I'm just tired of waiting Tsunade. And I know that – _this_ – can get in the way of being a ninja. So…" She sighed and resolved to what seemed to be her only solution. She reached up and untied her forehead protector. She dropped it on the desk. "So I quit."

Sasuke sat in the chair and watched her walk out of the office.

He didn't say a word.

**SxSxSxSxSxSxSxS**

**I'm trying to do longer chapters, but since this one is sucky enough anyway, I decided not to torture you any more than I already had. Oh man, this chapter SUCKS, doesn't it? Come on, tell me the truth! Arrgh! I hate writer's block… **

**Anyways, if you think this even deserves a review, please lift my spirits. **

**Who else?**

**RC **


End file.
